Apparatus for applying liquid to the rails of railway tracks



Nov. 4, 1969 w, A. H. wATTs APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUID TO THE RAILS OF RAILWAY TRACKS Filed May 23. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGS Nov. 4, 1969 w. A. H. WATTS 3,476,213

APPARATUS FOR API LYING LIQUID TO THE RAILS OF RAILWAY TRACKS Filed May 23, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 4, 1969 w, A. H. WATTS APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUID TO THE RAILS OF RAILWAY TRACKS Filed May 23. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG.4

United States Patent US. Cl. 184-3 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for spraying liquid, such as friction-promoting liquid, onto the rails of a railway track, comprises a body clamped to a rail and having a primary chamber fitted with a pump piston operated by passing train wheels for drawing liquid into the primary chamber and forcing liquid therefrom into a secondary chamber. After the secondary chamber has been fully charged, liquid can be delivered from an outlet onto the rail, there being means for draining liquid from the secondary chamber so that there is a delay period between the initial operations of the pump and the delivery of liquid whereby the wheels at least of the locomotive of a train can pass before liquid is delivered from the outlet.

This invention relates to apparatus for applying liquid to a rail of a railway track,'the invention being concerned more particularly, but not exclusively, with apparatus for use in spraying friction-promoting liquid onto the head of a track rail.

In accordance with the invention there is provided apparatus for applyingliquid to a rail of a railway track, comprising a pump device, a pump operating member for location on a track-rail to enable the pump device to be actuated by passing train wheels, a primary chamber into which liquid can be drawn from a reservoir or other supply each timethe pump device is actuated by a train wheel, an outlet from which liquid can be delivered for application to the rail, and means between said primary chamber and outlet for delaying the delivery of liquid from the outlet until after a certain number of actuations of the pump device.

The means for delaying delivery of liquid from the outlet, may comprise a secondary chamber from which the outlet extends, said primary chamber communicating with the secondary chamber to enable the secondary chamber to be charged with liquid from the primary chamber so that the delay in the delivery of liquid from the outlet corresponds to the number of actuations of the pump device, asby the leading wheels of a train, for example, the wheels of the train locomotive, required to fill the secondary chamber, and the further actuation of the pump device, as by the trailing wheels of the train, will cause liquid to be delivered through the outlet from the secondary chamber, the secondary chamber having means for draining liquid therefrom to prepare the apparatus for operation by a following train.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a pump device of apparatus for applying friction-promoting liquid to the head of a rail of a railway track,

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pump device,

3,476,213 Patented Nov. 4, 1969 FIGURE 3 is a detail view showing an underneath plan of the pump device with a part removed,

FIGURE 4 is a part sectional side view taken along the line IVIV of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 5 is a side view of a further detail of FIG- URE 2,

FIGURE 6 is a plan view corresponding to FIGURE 5, and FIGURE 7 is a further detail of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawing, the illustrated apparatus comprises a pump device illustrated generally at 1 having a body 2 formed with a cylindrical primary chamber 3 for a pump piston 4, the latter being formed with a peripheral groove in which there is located an O ring 5. A base plate 6 is secured to the pump body by fixing bolts 7 (FIGURE 1) and carries an inlet valve 8 which is connected by a union 9 to a liquid supply pipe 10. The pipe 10 is connected at its opposite end to a liquid reservoir A mounted adjacent the rail on, for example, a sleeper, or mounted in the ballast of the track, the reservoir being arranged with its filler cap B at the top thereof and so located that the cap is below the level of the base plate 6 of the pump device. The end portion of the pipe 10 remote from the pump device, passes through the reservoir cap to the bottom of the reservoir.

The inlet valve 8 (FIGURES 2, 5 and 6) comprises a V nut element 11 formed with an internally screw-threaded blind bore 12 in which is fitted a valve seating 13 engageable by a ball 14. The nut element is formed also with radial ports 12a through which liquid can be drawn into the chamber 3 from the supply pipe 10.

The pump piston 4 is secured to the lower end of a plunger rod 15 mounted for axial sliding movement in the top of the pump body, the piston being formed with an annular series of holes, two of which holes are shown at 16 (FIGURE 2). Above the pump piston and concentric therewith, there is arranged on the plunger 15 a flexible disc-like valve element 17 formed of neoprene or other flexible material, the valve element 17 cooperating with the holes 16 to form a by-pass valve in the pump piston. The pump piston is moved downwardly against the action of a compression spring 48. The primary chamber 3 has two mutually inclined diagonally opposed outlet passages 18 (FIGURES 3 and 4) leading to a secondary chamber 19 in the valve body 2, the secondary chamber 19 being of annular form and extending around one side of the primary chamber 3. The passages 18 extend into internally screw-threaded outlet ports 20 which extend from the secondary chamber and in which are fitted nozzle pipes 21 (FIGURE 1) formed, for example, of copper and capable of being bent soas, during operation of the apparatus, to direct jets of the liquid onto the desired areas of the track rail.

The valve body has at each end a mounting bracket indicated generally at 25, each bracket comprising a plate 26 (see FIGURES 1 and 7) formed with two laterally spaced elongated holes or slots 27 for the reception of fixing bolts 28 which are screwed into the pump body, the elongated holes 27 permitting vertical adjustment of the body relatively to the plates and hence relatively to the head of the rail thereby to provide adjustment in the stroke of the plunger and the quantity of liquid drawn into and discharged from the primary chamber. Each plate 26 is also formed with a lateral abutment 29 and with a pair of recesses 30, 31. The recess 30 has an edge face 32 parallel to the long axes of the holes 27 and an inclined edge face 33 at an angle of approximately to the edge face 30. The recess 31 is also formed with an edge face 34 parallel to the edge face 32, and an inclined face 35 at an angle of approximately to the edge face 34. Between the recesses 30, 31, the bracket plate has an edge face 36 inclined at 30 to the edge face 33 of recess 30. The lateral abutment 29 of each mounting bracket is formed with a concave face 37 which as shown in FIGURE 7, extends at an angle of approximately 150 to the edge face 34 of recess 31 and which is engageable by a screw-top 38a adjustably mounted in an arm 38 of a clamp bar 39. The clamp-bar is formed with teeth 40 and is provided with an adjustable saddle 41 slotted for passage -over the toothed portion of the clamp-bar and provided with internal projections 42 engageable between selected teeth of the clamp bar 40. The saddle is formed integrally with an abutment part 43 for engagement with the base flange 44 of a rail 45 (FIGURE 2). The saddle is also provided with fixing screws 46 for securing the saddle to the clamp-bar in a desired adjusted position according to the width of the base flange 44. The pump body is formed also with an abutment face 47 inclined with respect to the axis of the pump plunger and engageable with the head 48 of the rail so that the pump body is supported with the plunger axis inclined outwardly and downwardly with respect to the said web. The clamping means is such that the pump body can readily be secured in a desired position to the rail without drilling or other machining of the rail. As shown in FIGURE 2, the lower recess 30 of each mounting bracket 25 is engaged with the outer edge of the base flange of the rail 45, this base flange being relatively wide and substantially fiat. The upper recesses 31 are provided in the mounting brackets to enable these readily to be applied to a bull-head type rail which has a somewhat narrower and thicker base flange than the rail 45.

Means is provided for controlling the level of liquid in the secondary chamber .19. In the present embodiment this level control means comprises a small diameter drain outlet 50 secured in the base plate and connected by a pipe 51 to the cap of the reservoir, the pipe terminating just inside the reservoir. The drain outlet is arranged to permit a restricted flow of liquid from the secondary chamber to the reservoir so that, although the chamber can be filled by a predetermined number of operations of the pump plunger according to the delay period, the secondary chamber can be drained of fluid once one train has passed so as to prepare the device for the next following train.

In use, the pump body is clamped to the rail and positioned so that the nozzles 21 are properly located for ejecting jets of the friction promoting liquid onto the rail head. The pump body is also positioned to permit the plunger 15 to be actuated by passing train wheels. Each time the plunger 15 is depressed, the piston moves downwardly against the action of the spring 49, the pump action being that of a lift-and-force pump in that on the downward stroke the inlet valve 8 is closed and the valve element 17 is displaced from the holes 16 in the pump piston to allow liquid already in the primary chamber 3 to pass through the holes from below the piston to above i On release of the plunger 15, the compression spring 48 produces a return upward stroke of the piston, the valve element 17 then being closed so that liquid above the piston will be forced from the primary chamber 3 into the annular secondary chamber 19. The piston will also draw a fresh charge of liquid into the primary chamber 3 through the inlet valve 8.

Once the secondary chamber has been filled by the action of the pump, further liquid when forced through the passages 18 will cause liquid to be ejected through the outlet nozzles onto the rail. The small diameter outlet 50 and the pipe 51 of the secondary chamber 19, enables the liquid to drain from that chamber when desired, and to return to the reservoir before passage of the next train. This is necessary when the apparatus is being used for dispensing certain types of anti-slip liquid, such as ethyl capyrl-ate, which only perform their function when they have dried on the rail. When using such liquids, the apparatus will be arranged to provide a delay period in the ejection of liquid from the inlet nozzles 21 until after the locomotive has passed but to permit ejection upon actuation of the plump plunger by the trailing wheels at least of the train so as to spread the liquid onto the rail where it will dry rapidly ready for the locomotive of the next train pasing over the rail track. Conveniently, the capacity of the secondary chamber 19 is such that by appropriate positioning of the pump body on the rail to determine the extent of stroke of the actuating plunger, approximately six depressions of the plunger will be required before liquid is ejected onto the rail. In this manner ejection can be delayed until the locomotive has passed. It will, of course, be understood that the delay period may be varied by appropriate adjustment in the stroke of the actuating plunger.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying liquid to a rail of a railway track, said apparatus comprising a primary chamber, a pump device for drawing liquid from a supply into said primary chamber, a pump operating member for location on a track-rail to enable the pump device to be actuated by passing train wheels, an outlet from which liquid can be delivered for application to the rail, and means between said primary chamber and outlet for delaying, each time a train passes, the delivery of liquid from the outlet until after a certain number of actuations of the pump device, said means for delaying delivery of liquid from the outlet comprising a secondary chamber, said outlet extending from said secondary chamber, means for controlling the level of liquid in "said secondary chamber, and a passage providing communication between said primary chamber and said secondary chamber so that liquid can be forced from the primary chamber to fill said secondary chamber and, after a delay corresponding to the number of actuations of the pump device to fill said secondary chamber, liquid can be delivered from the outlet.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pump device comprises a pump piston mounted for axial movement in said primary-chamber, valve means associated with said pump piston and primary chamber for controlling the flow of liquid into the primary chamber and for forcing liquid from the primary chamber into said secondary chamber, said valve means comprising an inlet valve for controlling the flow' of liquid into the primary chamber, a by-pass valv'e including a valve opening formed in the pump piston, through which opening liquid disposed in the primary chamberat the inlet side of the piston can, during one stroke of the piston, pass into the primary chamber at the opposite outlet side of the piston, and a flexible valve element on said piston and displaceable into sealing engagement with said valve opening during the next stroke of the piston to draw liquid into the primary chamber at said inlet side of the piston and to force liquid from said primary chamber at the outlet side of the piston, into the secondary chamber.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for controlling the level of liquid in said secondary chamber, comprises a drain orifice through which liquid can be drained from the secondary chamber, said drain orifice being located at a level below the passage between said primary chamber and secondary chamber, said drain orifice having a flow cross-section which is restricted with respect to that of said passage.

4. Apparatus for applying liquid to a rail of a railway track, said apparatus comprising a pump device having a body for attachment to a rail, a cylindrical primary chamber formed in said body, a pump piston mounted for axial reciprocating movement in said primary chamber, an inlet at one end of the said primary chamber through which liquid can be drawn from a supply by said pump piston, a discharge passage at the opposite end of said primary chamber, a secondary chamber also formed in said body and communicating through said discharge passage with said primary chamber so that the secondary chamber can be filled with liquid from the primary chamber by a predetermined number of operations of said pump piston by-passing train wheels, means for controlling the level of liquid in said secondary chamber, the level controlling means comprising a restricted drain device leading directly from the secondary chamber to lower the level of liquid in said secondary chamber each time a train has passed, and an outlet at the top of said secondary chamber through which liquid can be discharged from said secondary chamber for delivery onto the track rail after said secondary chamber has been filled with liquid from said primary chamber.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said body has an integral top part extending over said primary and secondary chambers, a base plate secured to the lower end of said body and enclosing said primary and secondary chambers at the lower end thereof, a pump actuating plunger mounted for up and down movement in the top part of the body and operatively connected to said pump piston to displace the piston downwardly each time the plunger is depressed by a passing train wheel, spring means located in said primary chamber and confined between said piston and said base plate, for returning the piston upwardly after each downward stroke thereof when the plunger is released, an inlet in said base plate through which liquid can be drawn into the primary chamber from said supply, an inlet valve for closing said inlet during each downward stroke of said pump piston, said inlet valve having a valve element movable into an open position during each upward stroke of the piston to allow liquid to enter the primary chamber at the inlet side of said piston, and a by-pass valve comprising a valve opening formed in said piston to allow liquid to pass from the inlet side of said piston to the discharge side thereof during each downward stroke of the piston, and a flexible valve element adapted to seal said valve opening during each upward stroke of the piston, to force liquid in the primary chamber at the discharge side of said piston into the secondary chamber.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means for controlling the level of liquid in the secondary chamber comprises a drain orifice through which excess liquid can be drained from said secondary chamber, said drain orifice having a cross-sectional area which is less than the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage between said primary and secondary chambers.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said pump device comprises supporting brackets, means for adjust ably connecting said pump body to said supporting brackets, abutments on said supporting brackets, clamps engageable with said abutment for clamping said brackets and body to a track rail, and means permitting vertical adjustment in the position of said body relatively to said brackets and rail according to the desired length of stroke of the pump piston each time the plunger is actuated by a passing train wheel.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, including a liquid reservoir, a cap at the upper end of said reservoir, a liquid supply pipe connected at one end to said inlet and passing at the other end through the cap of said reservoir to a position at the bottom of the reservoir, a drain pipe extending from the drain orifice of said secondary chamber and passing through the cap of said reservoir so that liquid drained from the secondary chamber can be returned to said reservoir, said reservoir being located with the cap thereof disposed below the level of the base plate of said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,919,451 7/ 1933 Schaefer 184-3 2,285,082 6/1942 Bolt 184-3 2,296,365 9/1942 Moore et al 184-3 2,428,171 9/ 1947 Mennie 184-3 2,489,182 11/1949 Huck 184-3 2,884,093 4/1959 Stewart 184-3 FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner MANUEL ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 103-154 

